Staff: Kevin C. Gillen Ph.D.

Senior Research Consultant

Kevin C. Gillen Ph.D. is an economist who holds a position as a Senior Research Consultant with the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government. With a background in urban economics and real estate finance, Dr. Gillen’s research and consulting practice is concentrated in applied work in the analysis of real estate developments and operation of real estate markets, including their fiscal, economic and financial implications. This work is deployed in advising both public and private sector entities on the costs/benefits of public policy options, as well as the design and implementation of local economic development strategies.

Dr. Gillen’s past clients have included the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission, Jones Lang LaSalle, the New Jersey Council for Affordable Housing, the Congress for New Urbanism, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, First American CoreLogic, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the William Penn Foundation, and the U.S. Geological Survey, to name a few. Dr. Gillen’s research has been cited in the Wall St. Journal, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Magazine. He has testified multiple times on matters of real estate markets and public policy to Philadelphia City Council, the Pennsylvania State Legislature and the U.S. Congress.

Dr. Gillen received his Ph.D. in Applied Economics in 2005 from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and received both the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Dissertation Award and Lincoln Land Institute Dissertation Fellowship. His research in urban economics appears in numerous publications and is cited in various policy applications, and his quarterly reports on the current state of the Philadelphia region’s real estate markets receive substantial local attention.

The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News have described him as “a well-respected and highly regarded economist[1]” “who has brought order and credibility to housing data over the last several years as a neutral, not an industry, source[2]” and is “the foremost expert on property values in the Philadelphia region[3]”.

Dr. Gillen also serves as a board member of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Builders’ Association and the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors. Prior to attending Wharton, Dr. Gillen worked for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors and HUD’s Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

Kevin Gillen produces quarterly reports on housing prices throughout the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys. These reports highlight four areas, the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Region, the Jersey Shore and the Lehigh Valley.

Latest Posts

Fels Senior Consultant Dr. Kevin Gillen uncovered $22 million of delinquent taxes owed to the city by SEPTA; however, a recent deal between the city and SEPTA wipes the slate clean on July 1. Dr. Gillen's findings were highlighted on the front...

The Philadelphia Inquirer featured a recap of the quarterly housing report released on Tuesday by Fels Senior Consultant Dr. Kevin Gillen. The article highlighted key findings from Dr. Gillen's quarterly report and included quotes from Dr. Gillen....